Instagram ::: MY STYLE PIZZA

Jul 28, 2016

a) choosing fully covered clothing; longer skirts that come down to knees, no sleeveless tops, nothing too figure showing but also not too butch
b) choosing blouses over shirts
c) choosing colors that are not too flashy, and not too masculine
d) little pattern, less decorations
e) only the cross necklace should be distinct and shiny
f) makeup to suggest grooming and care, but nothing in your face
g) flat shoes over heels
h) bags that are durable and neat looking, but nothing that screams prestige
i) jewelry kept to a minimum; stud earrings as tiny as possible, maybe a watch
j) no pants, no shorts, no sexy dresses of any kind, no bombshell styles, nothing too trendy; overall a quieter and elegant but not prestige-seeking look, "demure"
k) French manicure or any nude-pink gentle colors for nails
l) hairstyle to be slightly longer than shorter; no extreme hairstyle that is too attention-getting, eg. no pixie cut or undercut styles, no bombshell or bedroom or beach hair, no severe cuts like straight bangs

Jul 27, 2016

A few days ago, I got to thinking about what God wants in how I dress.
I've begun attending a church last year May (2015), and it has been a life changing event for me.

Since I didn't have much info, I began Googling about it. Has God said anything specific in what he wants regarding this passionate hobby and job of mine? What was his will for me in this regard?

To put it bluntly, I have found 2 things:
#1. Don't dress like a slut. Cover yourself up.
#2. Dress like a woman/girl. Not a man.

The Bible does not engage in petty details on what to wear or not to wear. But perhaps the bigger principle God wants is this:
##. Do not make Image, especially Image of Yourself your God.
##. Do not be so preoccupied to adorning yourself, while neglecting your real duties on Earth.

- - -
Delving deeper though, on how clothing features in the Bible, I remembered how Adam and Eve first roamed around the Garden of Eden freely, totally naked. And after their fall, in shame they covered themselves up with leaves they found. And they could not even approach God despite their leaf-clad bodies. Their shame was that intense.

And it was God who in seeking them and calling them to him, that clothed them in animal skin. He really wanted Adam and Eve to have no obstacle in coming closer to him. So he clad us with something more durable. And he sacrificed animal blood to keep us clothed and less afraid.

So clothing was born and closely related to Sin, right from the beginning of the beginning. And it was a central element that symbolized the nature of our relationship to God, and of our Sinful nature.

- - -
In later scriptures though, there are still quite a few references to clothing and fashion.

The one's I have heard of so far go as the following:
#1. Joseph's Coat of Many Colors
#2. Joseph running away leaving his Coat behind when his boss's wife seduces him
#3. The Roman soldiers casting lots on Jesus's clothes, dividing them up for entertainment, de-robing Jesus before his Crucifixion
#4. A sinful Egyptian wife, cheating on her husband with a multi-colored and patterned bed linen which is a set up to seduce a young man in the streets
#5. Dinah getting raped from a party she attended, and the mention of her brothers all covered in silver jewelry, which represents how they had all taken to the ways of the world

On the topic of disguise, there are at least 3 stories:
#1. Jacob feigning his brother Esau's hand by adding animal skin to his hand, in order to steal the blessing from Isaac
#2. Jacob is tricked by Laban his uncle who disguises her first daughter as her second one who is much prettier
#3. Tamar dressing as a prostitute to trick Judah, but she was doing it as inspired by God

- - -
I'm noting how each of the stories are illustrations of 'things going wrong' and following the wrong things except for Tamar's case. And this brings us to this scripture:

John 2:16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

And this is the cause for pause for me.
"...the lust of the eyes"

Every thing I have learnt as as designer, visual communication major, advertising art director, and image consultant has the sole purpose of delighting the eyes, manipulating people to either buy or choose something.

Every technique and principle is basically to meet the requirements and cravings for those 'lust of the eyes.'

Worse still, while learning about personality and how I am motivated is helpful, if resting on those, it is another big Sin in God's eyes. We were not created to worship our own bodies and place ourselves where God is supposed to be.

With these thoughts, I'll leave you for now.
Much to think on, and something to wait for God's directions on...

Jul 22, 2016

OK, this is a long overdue post. But I waited until I was absolutely clear on releasing this content. And, today, I am ready. :)

So, as many of you know, I began this journey of "Adventures in Types and Seasons" dating back to 2011. It was Jeannine Byers's ad or link on Facebook which was an affiliate program at the time. I had discovered Dressing Your Truth and was totally enthralled by it.

I watched through all the videos, profiled myself as a tough tie between Type 1 and Type 2, based on my facial profile and body language. But I couldn't decide which was the dominant expression in me.

Since, I have already blogged in detail about why I'm stopping my DYT T4 looks, I will keep this part of the story short. In short, I had spent a lot of my money shopping to buy each type of look, but I couldn't arrive at a conclusive Type. I did get help from the DYT team, but I live out here in Korea and I couldn't get to the Energy Dressing that they offered.

I happen to be an ENTP in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator system, and the two letters in the middle NT stands for someone who is an intuitive & a Thinker. We're also known as the Rationals. So, naturally, I wanted a system where I would know myself on a metric basis. And after surveying all of the available fashion & image related services that was available to me in English speaking countries, Korea, and Japan, I realized that as yet, there was no conclusive Identity Assessment given in the fashion field.

Around that time, I was leaving my English Teaching job, and I decided to a) become an Identity Coach, and b) get certified by the most qualified Image Consultant. For me, this had been a life long dream actually. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be Miss Korea and had a deep admiration for the Beauty & Glamour world. It wasn't something I could openly pursue though because I came from a very conservative Asian family. Such a thing just could not be heard of. We had to pursue an intellectual's path. And what I had a love for was considered shallow and superficial. :( And my Mom told me that it was Vain and therefore not allowed. She even made me wear glasses to my prom night, and I looked like Harry Potter. So, you get the picture. Nerdy girl, from a nerdy heritage...

Well. As God would have me in luck, my father who is a Business & Life Coach called me up asking me if I would like to take a course given by his friend, Master Hur. The course was called Adler Identity Coaching and there were 3 levels to it.

I enrolled and I was so blown away by a quiz my Master gave me. It was a metric based questionnaire, and I found out that among the 4 types, I was the Pleasure and Pleasing Seeking Identity dominant with a supporting Superiority Seeking Identity.

I tested my sister and she came out Control and Management Seeking Identity dominant with a supportive Comfort Seeking Identity. I read her the descriptions and what the type prefers and hates, and she said it was eerily accurate!

After I found out my Adler Identity type, I was actually shocked and numb in my brain for like a month though because I had thought of myself differently. I thought I was a Superiority Seeking identity based on how competitive and driven I was since I was a young girl.

As I kept testing this out on everyone I met last year, it became apparent that what was happening to me was the norm. Most people that received their Adler Identity reported back to me saying that they consciously thought they were their secondary identity type! The primary identity type is so largely Unconscious for all of us, that it goes unchecked! We forget who we are in the bigger sense!!!

In my case, I had to examine what this information meant to me. Having thought of myself as a Race Horse, I had to see what had driven me to be that way. And it was this. I was a pleaser. I wanted my parents' love and approval so much, and I wanted to please them so much, and because what they wanted me to be was to be was what most Asian parents typically want, a Good Daughter who gets good grades and wins competitions. And then I thought of how actually this made sense. Even though, I do have competitiveness in me, that was not my dominant nature. I was a Pleaser & Pleasure Seeking Identity, and that is what motivated me to be so competitive! It shed light on my adult years too; after my parents' approval became less of an issue for me, I felt like I was drifting in my life. I couldn't survive all the office politics in the corporate advertising world.

This Conscious/Unconscious Self is really interesting. One of my clients who is a super saleswoman at Samsung Insurance who wins MVP awards all the time, she tested as the opposite of what I got. She was a Superiority Seeking Dominant with a secondary Pleasure Seeking Identity. But all her life, she believed she was more of her secondary type, and she spoke and dressed that way. When you looked at her professional life though, it was clear without a doubt that her main identity is the Superiority Seeking Identity. Now, being the Superiority Seeking Type, she paid little attention to grooming because she's always on the go. So she never learned how to do her makeup, she didn't know how to line her eyes, so we got her to try it out. We dressed her in all the right design elements & had a mini photo shoot. She really looked hot & professional, and we had so much fun! I got her some speedy makeup goodies she could use on her commute, and she's become more skillful in applying them now~!

For most clients, the Adler Identity Assessment gives a clear picture of their Primary and Secondary Identity. But in order to be sure, we do have a session that revisits your Early Memories. This gives us a more concrete look at how your motivations in life were formed, and how this has shaped you into how you operate NOW.

In Adler Identity Coaching, the sessions are given in one on one or group setting. The families that have done it as a group seems to have benefited the most because there is so much vulnerability and discovery in the process. We had a highschool girl who needed some career counseling and the changes that she was going through led to a family coaching session where the mother who was hurting the family without knowing, but the family got to see where the pain had sprung from. And it was actually an experience that was lodged into her Unconscious at a very early age.

I guess for me the most intimate moment was when I had the conversation with my mother. My mom's questionnaire result seemed to be a fit for how she wanted to be now, but we wanted to be sure, so we worked on her early memories. There had been a few issues that I tended to get into serious conflict with her growing up, and that day, as I listened to her 3 memories, it became clear where the conflict was. And as my mom said so herself, my mom shifted her identity to please my dad after marriage. And in later life, my mom often felt miserable and dissatisfied. She had lost track of who she really was. My mom's Adler Identity type is primarily Pleasing Seeking, with a secondary Control Seeking identity. As they are almost opposite ends of the spectrum, some of the desires that she has were difficult for me to understand. But once I knew the source of her identity, I felt more compassion towards her. And it became understandable.

I will conclude with my Dad's assessment for today. My Dad is a practicing coach and he asked me to KonMari his wardrobe and home office. Initially, he said he wasn't interested anything fashion related, so I said, OK, I will just help him with the Zen style clearing thing for him that day.

We were going through his winter knit wear pile, and I asked him which ones he actually wore, and which ones he didn't. And once we got talking about them, it naturally led to a discussion about this one knit top that he loves which was actually a very cheap find! He told me he would reach for that sweater time and time again. He had bought it without thinking too much at the time, but of all the sweaters he owns, this is the one that's easiest to put on for daily wear, and also the easiest to wash.

Looking at his Adler Identity Scores though, it was just super clear to me. My Dad's assessment showed that he was a very high score for his Primary Identity as a Superiority Seeking person, with a secondary Control Seeking Identity.

The sweater in question had the right colors and texture for Superiority Seeking type, with the stripe patterns going on that reflected his secondary identity!

But that wasn't the end of it. He had a dozen silk shirts, all white, all pristine, all very expensive... and he NEVER wore them! He had held on to them because they were fine silk and cost a lot. After I explained to him that his identity would do better with a lightly textured weaves for shirts, he was able to let them all go. He sent them off to a younger friend in Jeju Island.

All right. This is what I'll share for now. If you'd like to know more about figuring out your type, feel free to email me at jeeyoona@gmail.com. Cheers!

1. So I'm in a bliss like state at the moment, having spent a few days, listening to Christie Marie Sheldon's audio course. I had heard about the book Power VS Force before from another coach from last year, and even have two copies of the book, one in Korean and one in English... but I found her style and format so much easier to use on a daily basis. And much affordable too.

I'm writing this post here because in my energy clearing today, I was able to reconnect with my Inner Diamond-Self... I used to work with a Love Mentor a few years ago... and we had some fun exercises playing with the Diamond Self. Her name was still the same, and she was even more vivid to me this time. She's like the most developed and gorgeous version of me I guess. Her name is Valerie, she has a lot longer hair than me, she was wearing a floral print dress and she even had a guy in a suit next to her (I'm single, LOL). Anywho. I stumbled across her through Mind Valley I think, and bought her Love or Above course first and between the morning meditation and evening meditation, I had great results from the latter. I was at a very stressful point in my week and it shifted me so immensely, I was hooked. I've been doing it everyday since. Then there were some other bonuses which was a recorded class, and that was pretty helpful too. Then finally, I was able to find her UnlimitedAbundance course, which was pricey but because her other products had been so wonderful, and there was a money back guarantee, I decided to give it a try. Wow. This really was the REAL DEAL! In it, she covers 24 money blocks that most of us have, and I've done about 5 or 6 of them so far, and some of them have given me physical shifts and energy releases. My biggest blocks were around Self Worth and Blame. OK. So. I'm just putting it out here, because I sincerely hope you'll find more abundance & love also!! :D

2. Marcia Wieder was also recommended by Vishen... I think I found her listed in the Tribe in the MindValley. And she's so to the point. She's much older than Christie Marie, and has a lot of marketing background. I've never seen anyone pack so much insight into what she calls "sound-bytes"... But she's been helping so many people get on their path to live their dreams. She gives some free video action steps which are very well thought out. Her format is punchy but it's actually quite deep. The second video was about completing something that was incomplete because Integrity is important in achieving your dream!

3. MindValley is the hub of all the leading self-help gurus if you life. I joined Vishen's group because he thought in systems and has a background in engineering. Very innovative and 21st century...

4. Barbara Sher was my rock of comfort way way back in 2001 to 2006, which was my mid 20s. What Carol Tuttle calls Type 1, she calls it Scanners. And all of these ideas that keep getting generated in my head... is also known as Ideaphoria. I am finding that once I left the stress but also the *security* of a paycheck job, I'm needing a new *tribe.* Working alone has its merits but also a new learning curve! So after almost a year of thinking it over, I decided to go ahead with starting a Success Team which is a first in my city/country! I also saw a cool YouTube video which is about time management for Scanners... If you're a Scanner who is interested in so many things, check this video out: How to plan your time. For Scanners ( Barbara Sher's idea - refuse to choose)

6. Last but not least, Vishen's tribe also included this really cool and surprising approach on finding your Dream Career... It felt like finding the answer right below your nose for me! Here's the video that blew my mind... Try it for yourself!!

Navy shirts can be solid colors for a more conservative look. If the dress code is more relaxed, you can wear sleeveless styles. The two second row navy shirts are jacket-style which are really great for Summer. So easy, so chic...!

* * *

Navy and White Stripe Shirts for Summer

Stripes are another way to enjoy your Navy and White combo. The first three are darker and more formal compared to the jazzed up ones (fourth and second last) with red accents. I think red accents are cool for more creative industries like advertising and design maybe...

The great thing about these shirts is that come Fall, you can pair them with your dark wash jeans or black slacks... and look absolutely CHIC... *droolz~*

* * *

Eclectic Navy Shirts and Navy and White Pinstripes for Summer Work Wear

And finally, here are some selections that are a little *funkier* looking... for work wear.

1. Starting from the top row left, a Hogwarts inspired retro chic cape style with gold embellishment, and a dainty belt to cinch you waist.

2. If you prefer a sharper more masculine line, then, an oversized shirt jacket in very thing pin stripes are pretty cool...

3. For a more lady like chic, a fine pinstripe blouse shirt is great... This blouse would go really well with your Chanel bags...

4. If you are a feminine Tom Girl~ Then a bomber style jacket which is so in trend right now, with a nipped waist line and cute buttons can be a dressy casual choice for work.

5. If you're trendy and can wear jeggings to work, or if you're petite, this swing shirt would give you an instant urban yet comfortable outfit for work. This shirt would look chic on its own with minimal accessories, or even look cool with a fedora or beenie, and for weekend fun a lightweight pancho...

6. If you're a professor type, or love world travel and wearing those styles, this last one gives you that slightly risque adventurous feel, yet civilized and casual but workable style... You can look up long kaftan shirts for more styles like this.

* * *

Let's round out our selection now, with some dress styles...

First, a great womanly navy dress, with *lantern sleeves* - LOL, I guess that's what we are allowed to wear now! After all those batwing sleeves! I think this dress is easy to wear for any work situation because it covers you up nicely, but shows off your figure too. AND the style isn't too classic and boring. It's a little more trendy. Yet, due to the neckline, you could accessorize this dress in ten different ways using your necklaces and scarves, or chandelier earrings.

Now, I'm just going to add the *enhancers* for this navy dress... because this blog post was about mixing navy with white... :) First for elegant formal style, you can add some pearl necklace and carry a white bag...

Accessorizing a Shapely Navy Dress

Or, if your office is fully air-conditioned you could wear a scarf...

Scarves to Dress Up a Navy Dress

Or, brooches! You can use these to create a stark contrast with your navy dress for some sparkle and fun~~

Jul 7, 2016

I have been doing a lot of *digesting* of all that I have learnt and what direction to go from here onwards...

And that called for some new skills...

Even though I've worked as an art director for an advertising company for 3 years at Samsung, I have never had my own *brand* or *business* or *shop* before...

So, I've never had to think THIS HARD on *What to Say* and *How to Say* before...

.

.

.

* * *

I was half way through working on my new image consulting website (that one is on Wordpress), when I came across a really neat app for creating logos...

The one I have been using for another company is called DesignMantic but this new app was on a whole new level...

I got so excited with this new one that I ended up creating like a hundred logos just to test the app out! :P

So, I ended up on a *new playground* while designing my websites, ie. ShutterStock... and this new one called *TAILORBRANDS*

* * *

What I LOVE about TailorBrands...

1. The app runs smoothly... It runs way smoother than DesignMantic...

2. They have a REALLY COOL internal *engine* that calculates your LIKES from the fonts you select in about 8-10 steps... I didn't count it but that's probably how many font pairs they give you in order to work out the size, kerning, and style of your logo.

3. The icons they have are pretty cool. It's not as exhaustive as what ShutterStock can give you of course. But when you type in what you want, most likely there are a few great choices to choose from.

4. They even have 3 directions on how you want your brand's logo to be seen. You can make the visual symbol the main focus, or the brand's name itself as a focus, or the initials of your brand if that's what you want.

5. Once the app takes all of the info in, it takes just a minute for the app to give you 6 different variations on your logo. They also list what percentage of your preferences have been met under each logo. For example, my silk top hat logo was a 98% match to the selections I made. The other 3 or 4 logos will have a lower score like 80% or 60%... But you can choose from any of the six logos. It's like a free *COMP* that a design company will give you. I can't believe it's all given for free too~!

DesignMantic works great too, but it's more *ANALOG*...
They don't work with the criteria you give them, you have to manually tweak everything yourself...

6. Once you choose one logo from the 6 comp logos, you go to the Edit stage...

And here, you can finetune everything!!!

You can change the colors and fonts, even layout...

7. Once you like how your logo looks, you can save it.

And come back to it another time. Or purchase it right away.

8. Since I've been just playing with my blog's *StyleScapes* this week, (I'll explain that next), I didn't purchase my logo right away. I have 3 sites I'm working on right now... My image consulting site, my leatherworking blog, and this blog. And I was so blown away... that I got a little *ping~* sound and the Chat Window popped up!

There was someone who was right there to help me if I needed any~!!!

I didn't need any help, but I was just totally blown away by TailorBrands...

Everything was super easy to use, but they still made sure that I wasn't left out in the cold!

9. So, finally, after many StyleScapes and marketing stuff worked out, I fished out my chopped up credit card (Yeah, I'm still on Jill Chivers' course My Year Without Clothes Shopping... and working it!!) and bought my logo!

Here are the logos that didn't make the cut...

As you can see, all of them look pretty neat~~*

And the best part of it all, is that all I had to do was *CLICK* all the way through...

No grid lines to align with... and shuffling the image left and right...

(DesignMantic allows you to move all design elements freely which is great if you really want hands on design... But if you'd rather be lazy, and let the app do everything for you, then TailorBrands is definitely the way to go...)

10. Lastly, I was blown away once more, after I made my purchase.

If I bought an image from ShutterStock to design my own logo from scratch, that still would have cost me 45 dollars.

DesignMantic gave me large file logos to use; JPG and PNG I think.

But TailorBrands gave me a page on their site as a *Brand* and gave me the options to share my new logo on Facebook and Twitter!

The first image you see on this blog post is a freebie from them!!!

Then, there were some other really exciting add-ons...

I didn't buy any of them. But I was really excited about Zazzle.

I thought this bag looked so cute~ LOL :P

(I might end up buying it...)

11. OK. One more lastly... :P Once I purchase my logo,

they gave me a new link to My Brands tab, and they list the typography that was used with a link, and also the colors with their HTML Hex number!!

These all made me realize just how well they've served me!!

Because the other logo making websites do not offer these...

I think DesignMantic allows you to do add-ons too, like social media

cover pages and letter sets etc. But it doesn't compare to the level of

detail and are that TailorBrands gives me...

OK. Enough raving :P...

I'm just on a bit of a high, as I've stayed up all night...

* * *

OK. I really want to share this one also...

StyleScape...

I was listening to some music on YouTube... and somehow I ended up watching a video from the SKOOL NETWORK.

I think I was searching for monogram and branding for my leatherworking research...

YouTube Video: How To Design Brand Identity Stylescapes

and found this video "How to Design Brand Identity Stylescapes."

I have never heard of stylescapes before, so I was intrigued to know what it was and how it is used for brand identity design.

If you're not a design major or a marketing major, I really urge you to watch this. It is basically a free tutoring session. It's way more effective than what expensive art schools have taught us. If I had this info, back when I was a junior art director, I may not have quit my job after 3 years of burnout! I may not have lost my health even!

Initially, I felt the video was too long to watch through. So I kind of took their advice but I was Swiss Cheese Holing it...

I ended up making 3 stylescapes for this blog...

Then I worked on it PROPERLY for my image consulting site...

and realized that taking ALL the steps they mention is a MUST if you want to position your brand properly...

Working off of their templates & examples...

I could trailblaze on my own...

without seeking out a marketing expert...

and which direction to take from here.

OK. Maybe it would be wiser to still seek one...

but the CORE Workbook that they showed in the video

was basically what any advertising agency would be using

to gather information from me.

Three Stylescapes for Revamping My Blog 2016

OK. So here are three different Stylescapes I made, after I carefully answered all of the questions in the CORE Workbook. As directed, the first Stylescape is the most conservative one, second is the most On Brief one, and the last one is the wackiest one.

Oh, I forgot to tell you what Stylescape is, haven't I?

So, according to SKOOL Network, I think his name is Chris Do(?), many junior designers are not trained to communicate well with their clients because they a) do not listen well, b) go straight to designing Comps.

Having been such a junior art director myself, yes, that is super super true.

Most young designers skip the whole part about measuring the temperature of what their customer wants. They are so busy in their head, trying to come up with a cool design, that they do not take the logical/linear steps to a) figure out what the clients' wishes are, b) structuring their communication process so that they won't end up chasing their own tails.

* * *

Here are the screen captures of the CORE Workbook I got from their video.

I'm putting up for now, but if this infringes on copyrights or anything, I will be taking them down. But I'm guessing that since it's already up on YouTube in video format for the world to see, this should be OK...

This is all I have for now...
But, if you're starting something up, and want to take up marketing and designing your logo in your own hands... Definitely check out TailorBrands and also The Skool Network~!!

I got into Kondo Marie's system last year February, but have not posted about it because I didn't finish doing all the categories. I kept pushing it for later, and later, but I could not put myself back on the wagon. I did however, manage to KonMari the first three categories which were 1) clothes, 2) books, 3) and paper.

Of all the decluttering methods I've read about and implemented, hers is probably the most Spartan...!

When I finished picking up each item in the piles that she recommended, tops, bottoms, jackets and dresses, bags, shoes, gym and sports wear and so on... I had gotten rid of close to 95% of what I had. I was left with so little that *SPARKED JOY* in me, and what was left wasn't enough to form complete outfits! *horror*!!

So, I ended up shopping a lot, and it was last year April and May that I got trained as an identity coach in the Adler Psychology program, and found out what my "Identity" was... So, I bought a lot of Type 1 clothes and jewelry, bags, and shoes. It turns out I am a Type 1 dominant with a secondary 3.

* * *

The Kon-Mari decluttering WAS a supremely fascinating experience in itself though. Even though I got rid of a lot of my own clothes, I ended up Fashion Coaching & Wardrobe Editing for my Mom, Dad, and my sister... And once they knew their Adler types, they also wanted to get rid of a lot, so they gave me all the Type 1 clothes and accessories!

So I guess the Universe really does fill the vacuum that is created in your wardrobe... but I didn't wear a lot of the stuff I got... because a lot of them were cool but not quite *SPARK JOY* items... See, this is where just getting rid of stuff didn't help me... Because I still hadn't developed enough of a backbone in me, or discernment to know how much to accept and how much to decline!

The really funny thing is too... I think I ended up with MORE than what I had before KonMari-ing... My room ended up filling so fast, I had no space to put things! It became a total mess over a few months!

* * *

So, my message to you is this...

I have explored pretty much all of the options within the Fashion Systems World in the past 7 years. If you want to dress nicely... More than half of the systems out there ARE NOT going to help you. I tried Project 333 and Minimalist Wardrobe challenges for over a year; my clothes, shoes, bags ended up getting so worn out in such a short period of time... See, wearing the same thing over and over again, washing them frequently, wears them out super fast... Worse still, I did look less polished while I was doing the Project 333. I don't know. Maybe I should have accessorized better. But the limitations for me were too severe. The kind of level of refinement I prefer, requires quite a bit more than 33 items...

My Mom told me once, some time last year...

If you are used to having clutter... and you get rid of things... You just end up replacing them with new clutter. Or new stuff.

I'm not faulting Kondo Marie for putting out her system to us. I am saying that if you really want to change your habits, YOU REALLY NEED TO WANT IT BAD.

I did what I could, as I did stay up many nights to KonMari the first three categories, but if you have generous family members and acquire clothes easily, decluttering ALONE isn't going to help you maintain the Decluttered Life.

Some photos from the KonMari night...

Step 1: Gather ALL TOPS and find a spot to process them in one go!

Step 2: Pick each item up, check in with yourself to see if the item SPARKS JOY!

Step 3: This is my TOPS category... Left with 11 of them for the WHOLE YEAR...

Repeat the process for bottoms, jackets/coats...

I was left with 7 bottoms including a Winter dress...

*~ EVERYTHING ~*

7 coats/jackets

11 tops including cardigans

7 bottoms including a dress

Total: 25 items.

In highdsight, if I knew what I now about creating outfits and capsules, and accessorizing... I would have kept more and maybe replace only 20%.